Church Bulletin
Fasting seems to be a thing of the past for Christians. By fasting I am referring to abstaining from food for a set period. Some people suggest it can also involve abstaining from things like TV or recreation. In nearly 30 years I don’t recall having heard a sermon on fasting nor have I preached one. Yet it is taken for granted in the Bible in much the same way prayer is taken for granted. Matt 6:16, “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites ………….” Similarly in the Old Testament fasting is a matter-of-fact part of religious life.
Why should we fast? Interestingly the Bible doesn’t provide a definitive answer. There are probably several reasons: fasting helps to free up time in order to give one’s self to prayer; fasting elevates spiritual needs above physical needs; fasting is an additional appeal to God as we pray.
When should we fast? Again, the Bible doesn’t specifically tell us. The evidence however indicates that fasting coincided with pressing needs. Ezra 8:21, “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.” Jonah 3:4-5, “And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.” Historically pastors would call for days of fasting during times of trouble or when the church was waiting on God’s provision. In 1857 C.H Spurgeon called upon the members of the Met Tab to fast in light of the uprising in India.
Perhaps it is time to give some thought to fasting. Have we neglected an important facet of the Christian life? In the evening services I am going to take us through the Lord’s Prayer, and it is my plan to visit this subject. We all have pressing needs; the church has pressing needs; let us consider what the Bible has to say about fasting with prayer. It could be as we elevate spiritual needs over physical needs that God will move in new and powerful ways. There may be some mystery surrounding fasting, but clearly it is undertaken by those who want God to “do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think”